This is an effort to present as much as I can gather about Covina Pottery, a local treasure that has spread around the world.  For years I had a single brown glazed plant pot with the insignia of my home on it and never gave it much thought at all.  I'm still learning, so expect evolution as I find out more about one of the things my hometown is famous for .  I'll include photos soon.

Covina Pottery was a family business owned for many years by the Rhodus family and they had purchased it from its founder, whose name has yet to emerge. Covina nestles in the eastern part of the San Gabriel Valley, in Southern California.  Interest has grown in local pottery in recent years as California pottery has come into great demand.  William and Beverle Rhodus and their son Bart were responsible for much of the fascinating work that emerged from the Covina Pottery studio over the years.  They declined offers to include their peices in many major publications of California pottery, which contributed to the relative rarity of information about the pottery's history. 

Their simple, elegant design sense yielded a wide array of beautifully glazed pieces.  Some are solid colored, while others sport contrasting drip glazes that tempt the eye.  I have found large bowls of several classic designs and shapes. Some are fluted, some  scalloped, some round, and others angular and geometric in both colors and shape.  There are smaller natural forms, ranging from leaf-shaped planters to many-footed kidney shaped finger bowls.  There are also long low planters that echo paisley shapes and beg to be used for bonsai or specimen cactus.

The Rhodus family closed the studio in the late nineteen eighties and all the molds have since scattered to the four winds.  The closure was a direct result of the City of Covina's decision to impose a utility use tax.   Kilns are expensive to operate since they require a great deal of power consumption, which meant that the pottery business was especially succeptible to changes in the cost of power. The market at that time was already demanding very low profit margins and it just didn't make sense to continue.  Many local residents and businesspeople were hurt by the utility use tax, which would also spur another of Covina's famous moments:  The first-ever recall of an entire city council, in the history of the United States.